During their stay in Birmingham, a group of Israeli teens called the Young Rosh Ha''ayiners will share musical theatre expertise with one of Birmingham''s own talented performing groups, the Red Mountain Performing Ensemble. The two groups, both highly trained in singing and dancing, will have the opportunity to perform together and share in a musical theatre Master Class provided by Red Mountain Theatre Company.

The Israeli youth are from Birmingham''s sister city Rosh Ha''ayin and will be visiting July 21-25. They will perform a brief show with the Red Mountain Performing Ensemble before the July 22 performance of "The Sound of Music" at the Virginia Samford Theatre. Contact Charles Kopera at 324-2424 to reserve your tickets at a discounted rate. Let him know you are coming to see the Israeli performing group.

The show will begin at 7 PM and include songs performed separately by each group. In the performance''s exciting conclusion, both groups will join together in singing a David Friedman song, which the Israeli teens will learn in English before they arrive. Along with the regular audience the Young Rosh Ha''ayiners will then watch "The Sound of Music" at 7:30 PM. This should be particularly interesting, as the group has sung "Do Re Mi" in Hebrew in some of their Israeli performances and recordings.

While in Birmingham, the Young Rosh Ha''ayiners will stay with local families and participate in additional activities and performances planned for their visit. On the night they arrive, they will dine with Birmingham Mayor William Bell.The public will be able to see the Young Rosh Ha''ayiners perform at Children''s Hospital, the YWCA, Temple Emanu-El, and the Levite Jewish Community Center Summer Camp, culminating with a full show on Saturday, July 24 at 8:45 PM at the Levite Jewish Community Center. This free show, the only time the group will present its entire choreographed performance, will highlight Israeli culture and exemplify what the Young Rosh Ha''ayiners'' homeland means to them.This exchange, which is partially funded by the Birmingham Jewish Federation, is sure to be an enriching one. Co-chairs for this project are Donna Schiff and Nancy Denney. For more information, please contact Caren Seligman or Lauren Klinner at the BJF at 879-0416 or carens@bjf.org or laurenp@bjf.org.